Enduring to the End
Well, we all have our trials, and I can say without a doubt that Justin's college education has been the major trial of his life. We've been married for almost 5 years now, and he's been working towards his Bachelor's degree that entire time (not to mention the years before we were married)...and I can't believe the number of speed bumps he had to endure, one after another. I was shocked that something as simple to me as a college education could be so difficult to obtain due to finances, paperwork errors, administrative glitches, bureaucratic hoopla...you name it, we hit it straight on. Times certainly got tough and I know he must have wanted to give up, time and time again, but he weathered the storm as we all tried to do our best to support and encourage him knowing it was his trial and he had to be the one to conquer it. This past year of his education was, I think, the most intense yet, calling for all of us to make many sacrifices. Most of the year was spent with Justin in the back room doing homework, at work, or trying desperately to catch up on much needed sleep...we didn't see him much and I think at one point I told him I felt like me and the kids were living with a roommate. But alas, there was nothing any of us could do about it...we just had to endure until he finished. I think we all felt like those around us didn't understand why we weren't showing up for those extra church functions, why Justin wasn't going all out in his calling, or why we weren't attending family get-togethers, or extended family holidays...you know, all those extra activities that most families can't wait to get out enjoy with others. But we were sacrificing so much time as a family, that when we did FINALLY have some family time, we were just not willing to share it with anyone else. I guess you could say, we were a little territorial. I've said for the past year that I've felt like a single mom, overwhelmed by it most of the time. With Justin's crazy schedule and his free time going to homework, I had to do all the housework, cooking, cleaning, yard work, "plumbing", fixing, caring for the children, picking up after everyone, my own job, babysitting, etc; without the help he would most certainly have given me otherwise...it was all on my shoulders. Most of the time I was exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed, but so was Justin between work and school. When he did have any sort of free time, we felt he needed to spend it enjoying the children and just being a dad and husband, not worrying about to-do lists and things around the house. Needless to say, it's been a long road and at times we thought we would never see the end. But we did! He did it! He never gave up and we never gave up as a family. I'm so proud of him, I can't even put it into words! His graduation day was a day of tremendous celebration for all of his hard work and sacrifices but also our hard work and sacrifices as a family. Way to go Babe! Congrats college grad on your Bachelors in Business Management!
Graduation Weekend
Grandma and Grandpa P came down for the graduation celebration so we slipped in a trip to the Indy zoo, some campfire s'mores, backyard camping, and oh yeah, JUSTIN'S GRADUATION :)
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| at the dolphin show |
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| oops! the chair broke. at least he didn't get stuck. pretty sure we have some pics of justin similar to this that involve a stool. like father like son i guess. |
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| Mmmm, gourmet s'mores. instead of hershey bars we used reeses peanut butter cups, kit kats, caramello's, and special dark. |
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| "These are sticky" |
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| The boys camped out. Mom, Claire, and Gma headed to bed inside. |
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| Heading to our seats at the graduation |
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| Mimi came to help with the kiddos and watch Justin graduate. |
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| Looking for dad |
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| YEAH!!!! |
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| Playing dressup |
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| Statue of Jesus with an undergrad and grad student. He's sending them out into the world to honor his name. |
